Call for Amar’s expulsion grows louder within SP

He had also criticised SP’s policy on the use of computers and imparting education in English medium.

“Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav has already accepted his resignation from all party posts. I would urge him to relieve Amar Singh from the obligation of living within the party’s discipline and expel him,” said Ambika Chowdhary,SP leader from Ballia and chief whip of the party in the state Assembly.

Chowdhary was involved in a bitter feud with Singh over the selection of candidate for the Ballia seat in the recently-concluded Legislative Council polls.

“Amar Singh is indulging in anti-party activities — he is not only criticising the party leadership but also challenging its stand on major issues like the division of UP. If he wants so much of freedom to speak against the party’s ideology and policies,then he should do this after quitting the SP,” argued Chowdhary.

“He has vowed to support the Bill for the division of UP,if introduced in the Rajya Sabha. This is a blatant anti-party activity which cannot be tolerated. By expelling him,the SP chief should give him the freedom to charter an independent political course of action,” he said.

Singh is even willing to go to the extent of sitting on a hungerstrike to support the demand,Chowdhary added.

Several party MLAs have also supported Choudhury’s demand. They include former state Assembly speaker Waqar Ahmed Shah,former minister of state Shahid Manzoor (Meerut) and MLA Iqbal Mahmud (Sambhal).

“Amar Singh should not be allowed to cause further damage to the party and the leadership should close this chapter at the earliest. His anti-party utterances,while remaining in the party would weaken the SP,so it’s better to get rid of him,” said Shah.

Singh,once the high-profile general secretary of the SP,had resigned from all party posts on January 6. His resignation was accepted by Mulayam Singh Yadav on January 17.